A bacterial effector triggers dual-layer plant immunity through interaction with cell-surface and intracellular proteins.

A single bacterial effector, RipW from Ralstonia solanacearum, activates both plant PTI-like and ETI-like immune responses through distinct interactions.

• Why it matters: Understanding how pathogens trigger and evade plant immunity is crucial for developing resistant crops, as current knowledge of dual-layer immune activation and suppression remains limited.
• What they did: The study used molecular and genetic approaches to show RipW localizes to both extracellular and intracellular compartments, activating immune responses via RLK902/BSK1 and CSN5, respectively, and examined how other effectors interfere with these pathways.
• The result: Findings reveal a novel pathogenic tactic where a single effector elicits dual immune responses, which are subsequently neutralized by pathogen effectors, highlighting complex immune evasion strategies.